Guardian Angel
by BlackRoseDragonCK
Summary: Oneshot. Vanish Shipping. Yami is a spirit trapped in the building where he was murdered. Every day he watches the strange, beautiful girl of his dreams and desires to meet her...but also wishes to be set free from his entrapment on earth. AN: Not too sad


**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL (I'LL PUT A SPELL ON YOU) BY AQUALUNG **

**Hi there ^_^! I'm still working with Vampiressbeauty20 on our project but I had this one-shot idea that wouldn't leave me alone so I had to publish it ^_^. I heard the song "Strange and Beautiful" in a YamixTea amv and I really wanted to use it in a songfic ^_^. This takes place in an alternate universe where Yami and Tea meet differently than they do in the anime (Yami's not a pharaoh in this). This is a Vanish shipping fic, so please keep in mind that Yami "vanishes" at the end LOL. It won't be super depressing though. I'm using present tense in this BTW.**

**X**

It is so strange…yet beautiful in this place. Crimson carpet covers the floor, interrupted only by the grey stone walls. Those walls are cold yet elegant, like the age-old stones of a medieval castle. There are three, half-oval shaped windows on either side of the chamber, their glass warmed by the golden sunlight that always streams in at this time of day…the time that is just perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Five rows of pews rest on either side, parallel to each other. Their mahogany wood curves downward in an elegant curl carving, complemented by the plush, deep purple seating. That color as well as the blood of the carpet is picked up by the monumental stained glass window which dominates the wall at the chamber's end. That window depicts a glorious angel spreading its feathery wings protectively around a young child. The child looks relieved, trusting… her glassy expression never changing…neither for better nor for worse.

The being who lives in this aged church sighs as he drinks in his surroundings. Actually…he doesn't really need to drink in his surroundings. He has been here for decades…so he has memorized every last vestige of its quiet walls….the stony exterior that mimics the interior walls…the raised platform leading up to a solid silver podium…a small, dark wood table covered in half-melted candles…even the tiny, insignificant room which lies in a dark chamber of the auditorium. He likes that room…it has a single stained glass window, made of simple abstract designs, and many candles. A small section of a pew sits against one wall….an extra…something not needed…something ignored….just as he is.

His gaze wanders back to that table of candles near the great window. In the middle of the waxy objects rests a single, silver-framed photo. Partially hidden by the candles, it adds a splash of color among the drab, tan wax.

The being of the church gets up from his perch on the pew and walks over to the table, his feet making no sound on the velvety floor. The photo displays a family…a family of four. There are two simple-looking yet kind-faced parents and two boys. The younger of the children looks around fifteen, with a head full of unruly hair and large, innocent purple eyes. The elder looks like the younger…with some striking differences.

The older boy is seventeen, with slickly-spiked hair. The hair is mostly black with pale blonde locks serving as bangs and crimson tips interrupting the black. His skin is pale and his body is slim yet nicely muscled, clothed in a tight black tank top, black jeans, and numerous belts. He is far more rebellious than his brother…his face set in a harder line of intensity. The feature that sets him off most from his sibling, however…is his eyes. Rimmed with obsidian lashes, they are the color of freshly-drawn blood. They gleam with an intensity that makes them burn like fire…makes them seem as though they can peer directly into a person's soul.

The being sighs as he looks upon….the picture of himself. This photo is the only way he can fully remember what he looks like. He has no reflection….for he is not of the living. He has not been for decades. He cannot recall his true name…so he calls himself "Yami"…a fitting name for a creature of darkness. He does not remember the people in the photo…even though they are his family. All Yami remembers is glimpses…glimpses of that night…when his life was taken at this very church. He does not recall why he was here…only that it happened outside this building.

Yami reaches out and touches the photo with his white fingers. He flinches when he does so…for it always sends those last gruesome images flashing through his mind. He recalls the unbridled terror…sees the glint of his killer's blade in that cold, cruel moonlight…feels the icy hardness of the knife driving into his heart…remembers the helplessness of lying there on the ground as the murderer walked away…

Yami glances at the stained glass image of the angel and scowls. There had been no guardian angel to protect him that night…no harbinger of light to save him from that denizen of darkness…he'd been all alone…and now he is trapped here in this strange and beautiful place…for what reason he does not know.

The ghost starts when he hears the great doors open and turns. It is yet another tour group coming to see Domino City's oldest building. Services are no longer held in this place…for there is no electricity nor plumbing…but they do allow exploration as a well-known tourist attraction. Yami doesn't mind. It gives him the chance to see people…even though they cannot see him...or rather will not see him. He cannot leave this place…so the visitors give him a chance to see the world…to see the progress that has occurred since he left it.

The spirit leans against the wall and scans his crimson eyes over the tour group. They are teenagers, laughing, chattering, and arguing young men and women…just like him. There is nothing particularly interesting about them…but Yami does find fascination in their guide.

Her name is Tea Gardner. Even though she is no older than her group, her family helps to take care of this church and allows her to run the tours. She has shoulder-length hair of chocolate, ivory skin, and the brightest, intelligent eyes of sapphire. An aspiring dancer, Tea comes to this church often and practices ballet in the auditorium. Yami loves nothing more than to watch her…to watch her…and marvel at how strange and beautiful she is. She is beautiful and desired, yet kind and self-conscious. Her kindness does not sink into gullibility however…for she can be adorably feisty. She is not at all like the girls Yami knew when he was alive…and he finds her utterly infatuating. He wishes he could go to her…to meet her properly…to tell her how much invigoration she brings into his otherwise void existence…but he cannot…for she cannot see him.

_I've been watching your world from afar_

_I've been trying to be where you are  
><em>

_And I've been secretly falling apart_

_I'll see…_

In spite of his discouragement, Yami knows that his meeting with Tea is not a completely lost cause…for he understands how the mutual reality of ghosts and humans works. He knows…that humans can indeed see souls of the dead…the question is whether or not they choose to see them. Most humans see a spirit…and immediately look away, saying it was only their imagination. They look back…and they can no longer see what is clearly there…because they refuse to see it.

Yami knows that Tea suspects something about his existence. She often looks around in confusion whenever he applauds her dancing…but as most mortals, she disregards it as her mind playing tricks on her. He is determined to show her that he is there…that he knows her…that he loves her.

The ghost blushes slightly at his own thoughts and turns his attention to some of the youths in the back of the tour group. He hears the males…they are all perversely talking about how "hot" they consider Tea and what they would like to do with her. Yami scowls. He always hated men who acted like women were mere trophies to be won….he remembers that much of his life. He directs his attention toward the females. They are glaring and snidely whispering horrible insults about the girl he loves…insults driven by obvious jealousy. He hears one of them say that she will never be good enough to achieve her dream of dancing…and that drives him over the edge. Yami snarls and angrily knocks over one of the candles on the table beside him. A hush of shock falls over the tour group as they stare at the fallen object, idly rolling across the crimson floor…but they do not see him. Tea quickly intervenes, distracting them with something else…but Yami sees the slight shadow of knowing in her azure eyes.

_To me…you're strange and you're beautiful_

_You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see_

_You turn every head but you don't see me_

Eventually, the tour leaves and Tea stands at the head of the auditorium, smiling and waving cheerily. The doors close….and she heaves a heavy sigh. Her sparkling eyes close and she hangs her head in silence for a long moment. Yami walks right up to her, taking that moment to just stand…and marvel at her beauty, both inside and out.

She is wearing a lilac tank top with a tight black skirt that reaches mid-thigh. Black knee socks grace her legs and dark purple clogs cling to her feet, accenting her slender, graceful form. Her dark hair tumbles around her face like a waterfall of cocoa and her ebony eyelashes flutter against her white cheeks…her pink lips look so soft and inviting. Her soul radiates with a light of kindness and purity…a light that calls to his own heart of darkness.

Yami reaches out and strokes her cheek with the crook of his pale finger. He can tell by the slight furrowing of her brows that she feels something…a slight tickle…a gentle coldness perhaps….something subtle…but there nonetheless. If only he could cast a spell on her…make her see that he is there…and that he understands her better than anyone else. The girl often came here and would just talk to the supposedly empty halls about things she could not tell anyone else…never knowing that there was indeed someone listening.

_I'll put a spell on you_

_You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you_

_And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see_

_And you'll realize that you love me_

_Yeah…_

_Yeah…_

Finally, Tea sighs again and looks up. She walks on those gazelle-like dancer's legs to the doors and exits through them. Yami knows she is not gone for good. She is just going to her home to change and bring her dancing supplies to the building…just as she always does. Yami sighs and collapses onto one of the pews. As much as he loves Tea and enjoys seeing her, he is so tired of being trapped in this place. He wishes he could tell her how he feels…and be set free from this strange and beautiful prison…if only that were possible…

X

Yami sighs as he gazes out the church window. The sky is black now…lit by a moon that almost looks…red. The trees in the courtyard look like gangly skeletons, swaying eerily in the icy breeze. Others might think it beautiful…but it sends a shiver down Yami's already frozen spine. This night is too similar…too like that night…when he was murdered.

He closes his blood eyes, his already white knuckles turning grey as they tighten. He can still see his killer's face…square and thickly browed with dark hair and cold, cruel eyes. He knew that man…but he cannot not remember how. A low growl emanates from Yami's throat and he opens his eyes. They gleam like fresh blood, practically glowing with hatred. If only he could get revenge on that man…the murderer…who was never caught.

Worry builds up within the ghost's still heart. Tea still has not come…and this night is far too familiar. It is almost as if…his deepest dream…has become his worst nightmare. The silence…the nostalgia…the waiting is making him insane…

_Sometimes the last thing you want comes in first_

_Sometimes the first thing you want never comes_

_And I know that waiting is all you can do_

_Sometimes…_

A scream pierces the heavy air outside and Yami jumps. He looks out the window on that cruel night…and feels his heart twist in horror. He sees her…sees Tea. She is running, her face, contorted with terror, is illuminated by that blood moon. Then…Yami sees from what…or from whom…she is running.

A figure…dark…thickly jacketed…and large. He is featureless, silhouetted against the dim light…but Yami can see the telltale dagger glinting in his hand. He recognizes that glint…it calls to him with a morbid nostalgia that makes his still blood boil.

Snarling, the ghost races to the doors and throws them open. He cannot go far…but he can at least venture into the church courtyard. Tea is running toward the church doors, eyes desperate and tear-filled. She is dressed in her dancing attire, a light pink tank top and short grey shorts. He wonders how long she has been running, completely petrified, from the man who killed him…and it makes his hatred grow even more palpable.

The girl makes it into the courtyard, surrounded by those skeletal trees that still dance their grotesque sonata in the wind. She is almost to the doors…when her foot catches on a bramble and she falls to the cold, hard earth. Terror further contorts her beautiful features and Tea turns…to look at the killer looming over her. His is grinning with sadistic glee, tauntingly running the dagger through his fingers. He raises the knife…and finally…Yami speaks.

"Ushio…." He snarls, and his own voice startles him. He had forgotten how deep and alluring it was…how it dripped with venom whenever he was angry.

Yami feels as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He finally remembers…finally knows the identity of the man who killed him…of the boy who killed him. It was Ushio…one of his fellow classmates as well as the most infamous punk in their school. He was self-centered, cruel, and filled with a darkness that no amount of counseling could cure. While he looks older now…Yami recognizes him as if the age lines of thirty years do not even exist on his hard face.

Both Ushio and Tea stare at him in shock. Their minds are both so rushed…that they do not bother to put up their mental shields. Ushio's face grows sickly pale and he takes a few steps backward.

"Y…you…?" he stammers, his voice a ghost of its former self. "No…you're dead…it…it's not possible…."

"Oh?" Yami advances toward him, that cool, acidic tone still dominating his words. "I'm afraid it is quite possible. You see…my anger against you has not yet been quelled….and neither has that of your other victims."

As if to emphasize his point, pallid figures begin to rise from the dark earth. Ushio lets out a gasp of horror as they circle him, their emotions seeming to mix and converge with his own. The air is heavy with their sorrow…their anger…their toxic hatred…and their thirst for vengeance. They move in closer to the villain, grabbing at him with cold, grey hands, their fury burning into his black soul.

Ushio screams. "Please! Please…have mercy!"

Yami eerily tilts his head to one side. His white skin is even more pallid in the darkness, his blood eyes seeming to glow beneath the crimson moon.

"Why would they give you mercy…when you showed no mercy to them?" he asks, enjoying the terror in the man's eyes. "Ushio….the door to darkness…has opened."

Ushio lets out one last scream…as the land beneath him turns to a black abyss of shadows…and the pale, lifeless hands of his victims…drag him into the darkness. Yami stands there, coldly glaring at the slowly dissipating shadows. It is over…his enemy is gone…his vengeance is satisfied…but there is one last thing to be done.

He looks over…and sees Tea sitting on the ground. Her ankle is scratched from the brambles, but she seems unharmed, her petite form trembling slightly…from fear or cold, the ghost is not sure. He approaches her and she shrinks back, her blue eyes filled with fear.

"It is all right…" Yami murmurs gently, kneeling down beside her. "He is gone now…and I have no wish to hurt you."

He wraps one toned arm around her back, hooking the other in the crook of her legs, and picks her up, cradling her against his chest. Tea gives a tiny gasp, but makes no move to stop him. Her body is warm and soft against his cold, ghostly form. It feels like such a relief that he can finally touch her…for just as he became visible when she allowed herself to see him…he became tangible as well.

The ghost carries her into the church and carefully places her on the pew directly in front of the stained glass window…the one with the angel and the girl. He sits beside her, cocking his head to one side as he stares into her sapphire eyes. The girl gazes back at him, obviously confused…but seemingly not afraid.

"It's you…" she says after a moment, her voice filled with realization. "You're the one who's been in this church the whole time…you're the one who watches me when I dance…you knocked over that candle during the tour today."

Yami gives a sheepish smile and nods. "Yes…I am sorry if I scared you. It's just…I have always admired you, Tea…." He reaches out and lightly brushes her arm. There is a small scratch there he had not noticed before. "You are different from everyone else…strange…and beautiful. I wanted you to see me…to know that I was here…"

"The whole time it was you," Tea murmurs. "I always felt like someone was listening to me whenever I came here to let out my stress…it was you. Who are you? Why couldn't I see you?"

"I call myself Yami…and as for why you could not see me…it was because you would not let yourself see me. You told yourself it was just your imagination, as most people do. Tonight…you let yourself believe in me…and thus your eyes were finally opened."

"Oh…" Tea blushes, the color making her look even more stunning. "Well…what happened to you? Who was that guy?"

"Ushio…." Yami murmurs and closes his eyes. After all this time…he finally remembers. He finally knows…why he died. "Ushio was a cruel bully who went to my school. He was heartless and ruthless, tormenting people just for the thrill of it. Everyone was too afraid to stand up to him…everyone except me."

He opens his eyes and stares into hers. The girl's expression is kind and curious, silently urging him to go on. Fire clashes with ice for a moment…then he continues.

"I saw him bullying a poor younger student one day…and I confronted him. I told him everything I thought about him and humiliated him in front of everyone. I guess my brother told my parents about it because I went home that night and they confronted me. They told me I was foolish for crossing his path…that he was dangerous and unstable…but I wouldn't listen. I got mad and stormed out of the house. I started walking…and realized that Ushio was behind me. He must have been waiting for me outside my house…and he had a knife. He chased me into the woods all the way to this church and…"

Yami waves his hand, not saying what is painfully clear. Tea's azure eyes are sad…and it makes his heart twist. He hates seeing her like this…especially over him. Then…the girl surprises him by leaning over…and gently kissing his cheek. The contact sends a wave of warmth through his frigid, ghostly form.

"Well, thank you…" Tea whispers as she slowly pulls away. "Thank you…for saving me…and for listening to me all this time."

Yami smiles and places his pale hand over hers. "I should be the one thanking you. You see…all this time I have been trapped in this place. I did not know why…but tonight I figured it out. I needed to successfully protect someone I cared about from my greatest demon…and I was finally able to do just that."

The ghost glances at the stained glass mural and chuckles. All this time…he has been angry because there was no angel to protect him that night…when all along, he was the guardian angel…and she was the girl in need of protection.

"I'm happy for you," Tea says, her eyes twinkling as she smiles. She looks so radiant right now…her glorious sapphire gems…her rosy cheeks…her full, peach-like lips…

"There is…one last thing I must do…before I can finally move on…" Yami mutters, averting his gaze with sudden shyness. "Something…I need your help with…"

Tea nods without hesitation. "I owe you my life. Of course I'll help you. What do you need me to do?"

The ghost knows that if it were still beating, his heart would be pounding right now. This is it…his last chance. "Close your eyes…" he orders. She looks slightly confused…but she does as he commands.

Yami reaches forward and cups her chin in his cool, white hands. He brings her forward…and presses his lips against hers. He can feel Tea's shock…and is relieved when she overcomes it…and responds to the kiss. Her lips are soft, warm, and sweet like chocolate. Yami slides his hands up her neck into her silky strands of hair, bringing her closer, asking permission to go deeper. She grants it…and his mind is overcome with the wave of passion and sweetness that ensues. All this time he has wanted to cast a spell on her…and now he feels as though he is the one bound by magic.

_I'll put a spell on you.._

_You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you_

_And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see_

_And you'll realize that you love me…_

"Thank you, Tea Gardner…" Yami whispers against her mouth as his body is slowly wrapped in a layer of warm, gentle light. "Thank you…for setting me free…"

**My first attempt at Vanish Shipping :). I tried not to make it too depressing XD. I hope you liked and please review ^_^! Please no flames.**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL**


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